Although I don't always live like it, I am a morning person. I love mornings when I wake up and get up before my alarm in the morning -
when the house is still and quite because everyone else is still in bed
when I have plenty of time to open the Word and study it (sometimes with the wonderful help of my Greek dictionary)
when I don't feel stressed about getting time to get a shower, apply my minimal make-up, grab something for breakfast, and make my lunch
when there is simply less pressure and plenty of time.
This morning I joyfully accepted God's invitation to enjoy the morning personality that He created in me. I woke up 20 minutes before my alarm went off. Part of that time I admit I thought about falling back asleep, but then I decided to talk to the Spirit who gently pulled me from refreshing sleep and thank him for a much gentler wake up call than my alarm clock. I thanked him for the desire I had to spend time with Him, and then I got up and opened his word.
Today I started another Reading Plan. In the past four years I have read through the Bible three times, in several different ways. This morning I started a Chronological Plan. It is set up to complete in a year, but my goal is to complete it by June. I am excited to see what God shows me from this incredible journey I have started on this morning and will be sharing in future posts some of the discoveries God gives me.
This morning I also continued my study of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 (here's where the Greek comes in.) This morning I looked up the Greek text for the key words in vs. 3-7. Here is a passage from The Complete Word Study Dictionary edited by Zodhiates Th.D. that stood out to me most this morning:
"Meekness, but not in a man's outward behavior only, nor in his relations to his fellow man or his mere natural disposition. Rather it is an inwrought grace of the soul, and the expressions of it are primarily toward God (James 1:21; 3:13; 1 Pet 3:15; Sept.: Ps 45:4). It is that attitude of spirit we accept God's dealings with us as good and do not dispute or resist. Prautes, according to Aristotle, is the middle standing between two extremes, getting angry without reason, and not getting angry at all. Therefore, prautes is getting angry at the right time, in the right measure, and for the right reason. Prautes is not readily expressed in Eng. (since the term "meekness" suggests weakness), but it is a condition of mind and heart which demonstrates gentleness, not in weakness, but in power. It is a balance born in strength of character."
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